WNS Update

Tri-colored bat

Dear supporters,

Sadly, officials announced today that White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the devastating wildlife disease that has killed more than 5.7 million bats in eastern North America, has reached South Carolina and Georgia. WNS, which first appeared in upstate New York in 2006, is now attacking bat populations in 22 states and 5 Canadian provinces.

In South Carolina, the disease was confirmed in a tri-colored bat found at Table Rock State Park in northern Pickens County. Georgia, joining Alabama as one of the southern-most states with WNS, confirmed the disease in two sites:  Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Cloudland Canyon State Park.  Tri-colored bats at both sites tested positive for WNS. 

Scientists had hoped that there might be a southern limit to the distribution of this disease, perhaps due to climatic or geographical conditions. Unfortunately, the confirmation of South Carolina and Georgia suggests that southern states are not immune to WNS. The disease has continued to move south and west this year. Fatality rates, some approaching 100 percent, continue unabated at infected sites, even as scientists and conservationists around the continent are searching desperately for solutions.

You can help by donating to BCI’s White-nose Syndrome Program and other critical conservation efforts.

We will continue to send you the latest updates on all WNS developments.

Warm regards,



Andrew Walker
Executive Director
Bat Conservation International
P.S. Learn more about White-nose Syndrome and its tragic impact on North American bats.

Bat and WNS Update from Bat Conservation International

December 2012, Volume 10, Number 12

Bats in the News - WNS Survivors Face a New Risk

Some hibernating bats emerge from a wintertime exposure to White-nose Syndrome with few symptoms of the devastating disease that has killed more than 5.7 million bats in North America. Then, just as they are recovering from the infection, they seem to be attacked by their own immune systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a news release.

A little brown bat with White-nose Syndrome. Photo courtesy of Al Hicks, NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Researcher Carol Meteyer, of the USGS, and colleagues suggest that these bats show evidence of "immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome" (IRIS) – a condition first described in HIV-AIDS patients. This hypothesis, proposed in the journal Virulence, represents the first natural occurrence of IRIS ever reported. "For both humans and bats, IRIS can be fatal," the agency said.

Meteyer's co-authors are Daniel Barber and Judith Mandl at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
With IRIS, after an organism's immune system has been suppressed for a time then reactivates, it can detect an infection and "go into overdrive, resulting in severe inflammation and tissue damage in infected areas," the scientists said.

"The potential discovery of IRIS in bats infected with White-nose Syndrome is incredibly significant in terms of understanding both the reasons for bat mortality and basic immune response," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "This discovery could also prove significant for studies on treatment for AIDS."

In AIDS patients, the immune system is suppressed as the HIV virus attacks white blood cells. It is reactivated through antiretroviral therapy. But in patients with secondary infections, the renewed immune system overacts and can cause major damage to healthy tissue.

Bats' immune-system activity (along with body temperature and metabolism) is dramatically reduced to conserve energy during hibernation. This allows the Geomyces destructans fungus, which causes WNS, to invade the bat's muzzle, ears and wings.

"Animals that survive WNS often "emerge from hibernation with normal-looking wings," Science News said in a report on the research. "But as their body temperature warms back up and their immune systems reactivate, their health takes a nosedive. Within days, dark patches riddle their wings. ... Over the next two weeks, these and other immune cells encapsulate the fungal patches, walling them inside scablike structures. Soon the scabs fall away, leaving the wings with huge holes. Flight becomes limited, if not impossible."
 "It's cellular suicide. It comes out in a huge wave, going out to those areas of infection and killing everything," Meteyer told The Washington Post.

"We see strong similarities between human IRIS and the pathology associated with WNS," she said in the news release. "We hope that these findings will stimulate more experimental studies that yield insight into the role of the immune response during IRIS in humans as well as hibernating bats."

A Well-done Look at WNS

I have a bat program to do tomorrow night up at the Henrietta Library, and while doing some research to be sure I have the current info about Michigan's bats, I came across this great "documentary" by Garrit Vyn about White-nosed Syndrome.

 I know I've posted about this disease several times, but there remain folks out there, especially here in Michigan, who have no idea what it is. The images Vyn captures here really hit home - this is the tragedy that is wiping out our bats.

Today the fungus has been confirmed as the cause of the deaths of all these bats.

White-nose Syndrome from Gerrit Vyn on Vimeo. I am grateful that WNS is not here in Michigan yet, and every bat I see at night I greet with a warm welcome. I am happy to see these bats - they have dodged the bullet so far, but WNS is now confirmed in the Midwest, so it is only a matter of time before it makes its way to Michigan.

WNS Update from BCI - the news isn't good

Dear BCI Members and Friends, We’re sad to report that White-nose Syndrome, the devastating disease that has killed millions of North American bats, has been confirmed in the federally endangered gray bat – a species that figured prominently in the birth of Bat Conservation International 30 years ago. Biologists in Hawkins and Montgomery counties in Tennessee recently discovered several gray bats (also known as gray myotis) with the white fungus that causes WNS on their muzzles, wings and tail membranes. The fungus – but not the disease – was first reported on gray bats in 2010. Today, the disease itself was confirmed by laboratory tests. No WNS mortality was found, however. Biologists have no clear explanation for that, but they are holding their collective breath to see what develops. This news is especially heart-wrenching for us at BCI, since we’ve been working to recover this species for so many years, and we were on the very verge of succeeding until the advent of White-nose Syndrome in 2006. “We have been able to keep people out of gray bat roosts, but we have not been able to keep this disease at bay.” Gray bats are at extreme risk, since about 95 percent of the species entire population hibernates in just nine caves each winter. WNS has caused mortality rates approaching 100 percent at some hibernation sites of other bat species. Such losses at even a single gray bat hibernation cave could decimate the species. The story of the gray bat is in many ways the story of Bat Conservation International. BCI Founder Merlin Tuttle, began studying the species as a high school student in Tennessee in 1959. He was instrumental in having the species listed as endangered in 1979 and led BCI’s continuing effort to bring the gray bat back from the brink of extinction – primarily by protecting its hibernation caves from human disturances. And our efforts paid off. Before WNS, gray bats were doing so well they were considered for removal from the endangered list. Read more about Merlin’s fight for the gray bat. Now the fate of the gray bat is once again uncertain. WNS is yet another threat to the species, which is already so vulnerable. But there is hope. With your support, we will continue to fight for our bats. Warm Regards, Dave Waldien, Ph.D. Dave Waldien Interim Executive Director

WNS in Canada

The following is from the latest e-newsletter from Bat Conservation International

 

March 2012, Volume 10, Number 3

Bats in the News - WNS ‘endangers’ Canadian bats

White-nose Syndrome is killing Canadian bats in such catastrophic numbers that the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada is recommending an emergency order to add three bat species to the nation’s endangered species list, Postmedia News reports.

Tri-colored bat © Bat Conservation International

The wildlife disease, discovered in a New York cave in 2006, is so deadly that it poses a “serious and imminent threat to the survival” of these bats, the committee of wildlife experts concluded after an emergency meeting, according to the nationwide news service. The species are the tri-colored bat, little brown myotis and northern myotis.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent would make the decision on listing the species as endangered.

“This is one of the biggest events in terms of a massive decline in a common mammal in such a short period of time ever recorded,” committee member Graham Forbes, of the University of New Brunswick, told Postmedia News. “This is dramatic.” WNS has battered bat populations in four Canadian provinces

In the United States, meanwhile, WNS has been confirmed for the first time in Alabama, the 18th state to be hit by the disease. The Geomyces destructans fungus that causes the disease has been found two other states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now estimates that White-nose Syndrome has killed more than 5.7 million bats in North America. Mortality rates approaching 100 percent have been reported at some bat-hibernation sites.

The committee also warns that the impact of White-nose Syndrome will be felt far beyond bat caves, reporter Margaret Munro writes. “Bats provide tremendous value to the economy as natural pest control for farms and forests every year and may play an important role in helping to control insects that spread disease to people.”
U.S. researchers have estimated the bat die-off will cost North American agriculture $3.7 billion annually.
The committee says the fungus likely impacts many bat species, but it is hitting these three Canadian species especially hard. They all hibernate in caves or mines, which are cold and damp and hospitable to the WNS fungus.

The tri-colored bat is relatively rare, the committee said, but at one hibernation spot in Quebec their numbers dropped 94 per cent over two years. “The disease risk to the tri-colored bat is considered exceptionally high because it hibernates at temperatures considered optimal for the pathogen and for relatively long periods of time.”
The little brown myotis has been quite common, but the committee said recent population counts at infected hibernation sites in eastern Canada show declines of up to 99 percent within two years of exposure, Postmedia reports. In the United States, scientists have predicted local extinctions of little brown myotis within 15 years because of WNS.

Northern myotis is also facing disastrously high mortality rates.

Bees - Endlessly Fascinating

As someone who grew up with a nearly paralytic fear of bees and all stinging insects in general, I find myself oddly drawn to these insects here in the latter part of my life.

At least as long as my associations with them are on my own terms.

Over the last few years I've become quite interested in native bees, and in fact next weekend I am attending a workshop on native bee ID (a program I've been trying to get someone to lead here at work).

Yesterday I received a postcard in the mail from Icarus Films, a company that is currently promoting one of its newest flicks:  The Strange Disappearance of the Bees, by Mark Daniels.

Here's a teaser clip from the documentary:



Then, while looking for more information about this movie, I came across THIS video clip about how it is bumble bees can fly (an on-going factoid among children and adults alike:  bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly):



The more I learn about bees, the more fascinating they become. I wonder, if honey bee colonies continue to decline, will native pollinators be able to fill in the gaping chasm they leave behind?

Bees and bats...rapid declines.  Causes coming to light.  And just in case you are wondering about the bats, WNS has just been confirmed in Alabama - the 18th and most southerly state to have its bats fall victim to this ravaging fungus.  

Dark days ahead.

WNS - more bad news

"I’m writing today with tragic news about White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the disease that has been decimating North American bat populations for the past six years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that White-nose Syndrome has now killed more than 5.7 million bats. The new estimate, which some biologist believe might be conservative, ranges up to 6.7 million."

This was the beginning of an email I just received from Nina Fascione, the director of Bat Conservation International.  Just thought I'd spread the news.  

However, I thought I had just heard (on NPR perhaps?) that the rate of infection of WNS was starting to slow down - scientists were hoping a plateau had been reached.  Maybe I just dreamed that.  I'll have to do some research to see if this is so.  


In the meantime, the future isn't looking too rosy for my favorite mammal.  :(

It was Bound to Happen

We all saw the writing on the wall, but when it becomes a reality, it is still a heart-wrenching thing.

Vermont has proposed listing little brown bats and northern long-eared bats as endangered species, thanks to the ravages of White-nose Syndrome.

To read more about it, visit this article from the Burlington Free Press.

Late Day Humor

We all need a good laugh now and then, and today's comes to you from the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of "Occurance," the newsletter of the New York Natural Heritage Program.

*ahem*

Q: What's going on with New York's bats?

A: Several species of New York's bats have declined precipitously in the last few years. Recent research has determined that they have been afflicted with a terrible disease. When their hibernacula are too near highways or, you know, like, really windy places, ambient "white noise" wakes them up, interferes with their echolocation, and SMACK! they fly into trees and die. The affliction is thus named "White Noise Syndrome." Scientists are confused because white noise often helps people sleep, so why not bats? On the meantime, managers are working furiously to soundproof caves by carpeting the stalagmites.

************

In all seriousness, however, WNS (white NOSE syndrome) has now been found in Oklahoma, although previous reports of it being in Kentucky were apparently erroneous.

A southeastern myotis was discovered in Virginia this year with WNS. Scientists are concerned because this species is already in decline, and if individuals contract WNS, they will further spread the disease as they travel throughout their range: south Florida to eastern Texas, and north to Indiana and Illinois.

The small-footed bat and the northern long-earred bat, both found in New York in very small numbers, may soon be on the endangered species list.

The future is not rosy.

Al Hicks Talks About New York's Bats

Saturday I was able to attend the early bird program at the Nature Conservancy's Annual Meeting here in Newcomb. I wanted to go because it was a presentation by Al Hicks, the DEC biologist who is heading up the White-nose Syndrome studies here in NY.

The program was enlightening (although much of it I already knew), but likewise depressing. Some of the photos he shared with us I hadn't seen before, especially one of an eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) with the white fungus completely covering its face, like a death mask. The images of bat bodies, several deep, on the floors of caves was heart-breaking. He had before and after shots of the same stretch of cave wall, the former covered with bats, the latter bat-free (well, I believe there were actually two bats left). Even if you are not a bat enthusiast, the impact of these photos was devastating.

I took pages of notes, but here's what it boils down to:

1. They are pretty sure now (not positive yet, but pretty sure) that the fungus is the cause, not merely a symptom.

2. When the outbreak first occurred and they sent emails around the world, looking for clues. Some folks in Europe (Hungary, Switzerland, Netherlands, Romania) reported they had seen white fungus on the snouts of bats there, but they weren't concerned. It turns out that Europe has many fewer bats than we have here in N. America. Speculation now is whether this fungus wiped out bat species in Europe years ago (before studying bats and recording populations was considered important) without anyone knowing it.

3. The fungus from Europe is morphologically the same as the WNS fungus, and so far the genetics suggest is is the same. It is possible that this fungus is an alien invasive from Europe.

4. The cumulative decline of NY's little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) populations in the last 2+ years is about 95%.

5. There is no evidence of resistance.

6. NYS DEC has been most concerned about the status of Indiana Bats (Myotis sodalis), which are a Federally endangered species; NYS is home to a significant winter population (7th largest in the world). What the scientists know is that Indianas and little browns share winter hibernacula and often cluster together. But, in adjoining clusters the little browns can have over 50% affected with the fungus, while the Indians right next to them have fewer than 5% affected. Somehow Indianas seem to be a bit more resistant. Also, it seems Indianas tend to prefer caves that have a lower humidity; caves with lower humidity have less of the fungus, and therefore bats in these caves are suffering a significantly smaller mortality rate.

7. During the winter, the bats' immune systems are not functioning. No one knows if this is normal during hibernation or if it is another symptom of WNS. When spring comes, the immune systems kicks into action and it encapsulates the fungus in a pustule. If this is on the wing (or tail) membrane, the pustule "burns through" the membrane, leaving a hole. This in turn impacts the bat's ability to fly and forage, and likewise decreases its reproductive success.

8. If the trend continues (the spread of the fungus and its associated wake of death), we can expect WNS to be in most of eastern North America in the next few years. It's possible our cave bats can be wiped out within ten years. This is significant!!!

9. The bats affected: little browns, Indianas, small-footeds (Myotix leibii), eastern pipistrelles (Pipistrellus subflavus), northern long-earred (Myotis septentrionalis), and big browns (Eptesicus fuscus). We don't know yet if the solitary tree-dwelling bats, which are migratory, are affected: red bats (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans). So far, of the bats known to be affected, big browns seem to be faring the best.

Al's big take-home message, however, was that as devastating as this is, it is a drop in the bucket when compared to global warming. He said "forget the bats - worry about global warming." Current studies are showing that the "worst case" scenarios that Al Gore talked about in his book and movie are not even close to what is really happening. Global climate change is happening as a faster rate than expected/predicted. Something must be done now or it will be too late; it's not a problem we can put off any longer. He said "write to your congressmen, write to your senators..."; do whatever you can to make global warming the priority in your life, because if we don't change the way we do things, the catastrophic results could be worse than we ever imagined. It's not just about humans. Everything on this planet is tied together...we have to step back from our petty problems and think of the big picture. Should the entire planet, with is millions of lifeforms, pay the ultimate price for one species' arrogance?

More Bat Stuff

For a really good overview of white-nose syndrome (WNS), follow this link: http://www.vimeo.com/5671164 . This is a link to a slide show a gentleman put together about the disease, including commentary from Al Hicks, the DEC biologist who is a key player in tracking the disease. It poignantly shows the devastating effects of WNS at several caves in NY and VT.

If you want to see some great footage of bat foraging behaviors and the avoidance behaviors of potential prey moths, you want to check out the video at http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/10229 .

Another Batty Update

I just spoke with Carl, the DEC dude who is heading up this bat survey, and here's the latest scoop from data that are coming in.

Reports are showing lots of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). The theory here is that because these bats have different overwintering strategies, they are doing okay and have so far been unaffected by WNS. It seems that many Big Browns overwinter in man-made structures (attics, barns, etc.) and as such have avoided the contamination in the caves.

They are also picking up lots of Hoary Bats (Lasiurus cinereus), as previously metioned. He didn't mention if Silver-haired (Lasionycteris noctivagans) or Red (Lasiurus borealis) Bats were showing up in the data.

Additionally, they are getting few if any hits of the small myotis, that is to say, the Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus). These are the ones hardest hit in the caves, so this does not come as a surprise.

Amy, Steve and I did another bat survey route on Sunday night down in Indian Lake. Twenty-two miles that route was, along a road that was VERY rocky. We didn't get very many hits, which surprised us since the route had several bodies of water nearby. Again most of our hits occurred closer to human habitation (street lights).

We have one more route to run: Pottersville to Weavertown. Then the equipment will be sent on to the next volunteer on the list.

I'll pass along other data as they come in.

More Bats

Last night was Night #2 for the DEC Bat Survey for which I am volunteering (see "Help the Bats" post on 9 April). My fellow volunteers and I have been very pleasantly surprised that we have been picking up bats with the detector/computer set-up.

Our first night (Wednesday) we drove from Goodnow Flow down Route 28N and around the research loop at Huntington Forest, an almost 22 mile route (at 18 mph). Most of the hits we got were under the street lights along 28N (no surprise there).

Last night we started up in Tahawus at the Upper Works (known by hikers as the southern entrance to the High Peaks Wilderness Area). This was an easier route to drive because it is blessedly paved! So down the Tahawus Road we went, hanging a left onto the Blue Ridge Road, completing an 18 mile route. Again, we had several hits, mostly near bodies of water, which is where we expected to find them.

The data we (and other volunteers) collect will be reviewed by DEC, the sonograms examined to determine how many bats were located and what species. While I am no expert, I do have a tape I acquired a few years back of bat calls, and I suspect we encountered at least three, maybe four species between the two nights. Without having that tape handy to compare the recordings to what we are hearing, I can't tell you which species; we'll have to leave that to the DEC folks.

New York is home to nine species of bats: Little Browns, Big Browns, Indiana Bats, Red Bats, Hoary Bats, Silver-haired Bats, Small-footed Bats, Eastern Long-earred Bats(or Keene's Myotis), and Eastern Pipistrelles. Three of these (Reds, Hoarys, and Silver-haired) are solitary tree dwellers that migrate south for the winter. So far, as far as we know, they have not been affected by White-nose Syndrome (WNS).

Of the remaining species, the Indiana Bat is already classified as a Federally Endangered Species, and the Adirondacks host the fourth largest winter colony of this species. As you can imagine, there is great concern about this species and the impact of WNS upon it. Mortality surveys, however, indicate that Little Browns have been impacted the most. Little Browns are historically a very common species, but as WNS progresses, we may witness the fastest transition from common to extinct this planet has seen.

We plan to do a second survey on each of these Newcomb routes, just to gather as much data as possible. I am also scheduled to do a run down in Indian Lake, which I will be scoping out this weekend. All we need are a few more clear nights.

WNS Update

North Country Public Radio had a update this morning about white-nose syndrome. They interviewed Scott Darling, a biologist for Vermont State, who estimated that Vermont has lost upwards of 400,000 bats in the last two years. WNS has just now been documented in Ontario and Quebec, and from what researchers have found, they suspect it could spread as far south at Georgia. To hear NCPR's story, follow this link and listen to the audio report by Brian Mann: http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news.php.

Help the Bats!

Okay, bat fans, here's your chance to help New York's bats!

Carl Herzog is one of the DEC's biologists working on the whole White-nose Syndrom problem. I went to a talk he gave last spring about WNS and left my name as a contact should any volunteers be needed to help out with anything batty. Today I received an email from him looking for volunteers. If you are interested, here's what Carl sent me:



Here's a very quick overview of the project:

You probably already know about the White-nose problem for the bats. It affects bats that spend the winter in caves and mines and this study will help us keep track of them. NY also has three other species that fly south for the winter. Unfortunately, these three are the ones that get killed regularly at wind turbine sites. Another goal of this study is to determine if these losses to the migratory bats will have an affect on their populations.

When bats fly, they emit high frequency sounds that we can detect with special equipment. Most of the time we can tell which species made the sound. Our plan is to attach this equipment to the roof of a car and drive pre-planned routes, recording the bat calls we encounter. Each car requires two people, a driver and a navigator/equipment operator. We are looking for volunteers from all across the state to fill these two roles.

Between training, preparation, driving the route, and submitting the data, total time commitment can be as short as 3-4 hours. Some folks will want to do more and we can definitely use the help. The routes take about an hour to drive and will be run shortly after sunset during June. The attached map shows how the routes are distributed.

Requirements to participate and not stringent. A team of two obviously needs at least one licensed driver. Use of the equipment requires some basic knowledge of Windows-based computers: following software installation instructions, saving and copying files, etc. The equipment itself is actually pretty easy to operate and we can teach participants all of the details.
We will supply all of the specialized equipment and software, of course, but we are hoping that most of the volunteers already have access to a laptop computer that can be used. Most any laptop manufactured in the last 5 years will work. If you don't have access to a computer, we can probably match you up with someone who does. We also have a few that we can loan out.

That's probably enough information for now. Do you think you might be able to identify folks who could help out with this?

Thanks,

Carl
State Wildlife Grants Biologist
NY State Department of Environmental Conservation
625 BroadwayAlbany, NY 12233
Office: 518-402-8908 Cell: 518-461-4582
fax: 518-402-8925 http://www.dec.state.ny.us/

This is the map of the routes. Is there one near you?

If you are still interested in helping out, you can either contact me or Carl.

Once More Into the Fray

Alrighty, then, blogfans - I'm back for another long posting - two weeks worth of info!

9 March

I had three starlings at my suet feeder this morning. Starlings really are rather attractive birds, what with their bright yellow beaks (which are actually dark until spring, when they turn yellow – is it dietary?) and their glossy black feathers with the pale spots. The “spots” are actually the tips of their feathers, and as the season wears on, the spots wear off. But in the spring the feathers are still relatively new and haven’t had a lot of wear and tear yet. Pity they are non-native invasives. For those who haven’t heard the story, starlings were brought over to the US (Central Park in NYC, to be exact) in 1890 by Eugene Scheifflen and friends (the American Acclimatization Society), who thought it would be nice for all the birds of Shakespeare’s plays to be in the Park. One hundred birds were set loose. By 1920 they had taken over the East Coast, 1940 the Great Plains, and by 1950 the pesky buggers could be found in California and Alaska. The big problem with starlings was/is that they compete with our native cavity nesters, like bluebirds and flickers. This competition was part of the reason that bluebird populations declined so drastically (also responsible was the loss of natural cavities as people began removing dead trees (snags) that were perfect nest sites for bluebirds).

I also checked my observation notes when I got to work today and found that the redwings are not a month early – they are, indeed, right on time. It was the winter wren who was singing a month earlier than I’ve heard it before. Haven’t heard it since – perhaps it was a fluke.

13 March
It’s Friday the 13th (insert suspenseful music here).

Despite that, it has dawned a beautiful day here, although chilly. We had a low of -3*F overnight, and it was 1.3*F when I got to work. Brrr. But the sun is of that quality that reminds me of springtime and daffodils. No sane daffodil will have its head poking up from the ground today, but perhaps we’ll see them in a month or so. The winds have finally died down – they were so fierce the last couple of days that I almost expected to see livestock blowing by. We will have to do trail patrol today and look for downed trees that need cutting. We had one storm a couple years ago that yielded 40 trees down on one trail alone!!!

Watched a crow mobbing a raven this morning. It was hot on the larger bird’s tail, and when it swooped to “attack,” the raven flipped over and struck upwards with its feet, rather like the courtship flights of hawks and eagles. Two other crows lagged behind (must’ve been supervising).

All the corvids seem to be in good voice these days: crows, ravens, blue jays. The jays seem to be making up for lost time: a couple years ago you couldn’t see or hear a jay to save your life. I suspect West Nile Virus had taken its toll (corvids were especially hit). But they seem to have rebounded. This morning the dawn chorus was heavily laden with the raucous calls of easily a dozen jays. Evening grosbeaks dominated the din, with the crows and ravens providing a descant on the side. The redwings were keeping things to themselves.

14 March
“Chipmunk!” I screamed to an empty office as I gazed out the window, staring at the small striped squirrel. “It’s the first chipmunk of the season!”

Since I had no audience to appreciate my find, I went into the lobby to record my observation on the wildlife sightings board. I shared the information with a mother and child sitting on our sofa. “We saw one the other day,” the woman told me blandly. I thought to myself “Well, you probably live down state,” but I smiled and told her “This is the first one we’ve had here, and it’s early for them.”

Returning to the office, I pulled up my phenology chart (a computer record I keep of each year’s firsts, and some lasts), recorded my find, and noticed that this is the earliest chipmunk recording I have – earliest by two weeks. Hm.

I grabbed the camera and went outside, but of course the chipmunk did not reappear. Still, I did get some nice shots of red squirrels, chickadees, and even of pine siskins drinking water as it melted and dripped from the roof.

16 March
This evening as Toby and I made our ritual stroll down to the river, we saw our first Newcomb robin! It was sitting on a snowbank, ignoring the world. I was able to walk within about six feet of it before it flew away!

And then, a little further down the road, a raptor flew through the trees. The wings (pointy and swept backwards) suggested falcon, which here would mean merlin, but it was too big (about the size of a broadwing), and it’s still a bit too early for merlins. The belly was bright white. And those are the only traits I noticed: wings, size, and belly color.

19 March – Holy Holes, Batman!
Our last tracking class for school groups was today. We are down to about 15” of snow, thanks to the rain and balmy weather of the last week or so. What snow that remains is icy hard in the morning, rotting and soft by afternoon. Needless to say, there weren’t a lot of recognizable tracks out there. So, we looked at a variety of other animal signs that the talented tracker can use to learn about the wildlife in his/her area.

For example:

Rows of horizontal holes in trees are a sure indication that yellow-bellied sapsuckers are around.

The enormous gaping holes left by pileated woodpeckers are hard to miss.

And then there was this strange set of holes: vertical up the side of a birch. At first I thought birds were responsible for these holes, but then I saw this:

…what looked like a “plug” at the opening. Maybe the hole was chewed by some insect’s larvae, each chewing its way to the surface then plugging the opening to wait for pupation to complete. Those that had no “plugs” had perhaps been eaten by industrious birds. Or maybe they were made by something like mason bees, who lay their eggs deep in long holes and seal up the entry to protect the egg and, later, the larva. But when I got inside and looked at the photos up close I started to think that the “plugs” looked rather fungus-like. Hm. If anyone else has a suggestion on identifying what is happening here, please let me know.

Our final “unknown” and interesting find was what looked like a series of papery petals lying on the snow. When I picked them up, I found a seed inside one or two. I brought them inside to see if I could figure out what they were, and as a last resort I would plant the seed and see what grew (presuming that the seeds were viable…if some critter had rejected these seeds, then perhaps they weren’t). But I was saved the trouble: I showed it to our handyman (used to work as a forester) and he immediately identified it as American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana). I know the tree by its bark, but I’ve never seen its fruits (they really do look like hops, which I grow at home). Very cool indeed!

21 March
Happy Spring! Okay, I know that “officially” that was yesterday, but I always think of the turn of the seasonal wheel as being on the 21st of each associated month. It’s one of my quirks.

And celebrating Spring, I discovered this morning, my tulips (and maybe daffodils) are up about 3-4” this morning along the house. I also found, as I walked across the frozen snow to refill some bird feeders (it’s best to do that in the morning before the snow becomes treacherous in the heat of the afternoon), that my giant pussy willow (the variety is called “giant”, it’s not a reference to its size, which is under three feet tall) has fuzzy catkins already out on the branches the deer didn’t nail. That took me a bit by surprise! My black pussy willow is still under snow.

Tuesday I had to be up in Ray Brook (that’s between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid) for a meeting, and on the drive up I saw Canada geese in Tupper Lake (on the Raquette River) and in Saranac Lake (on Lake Flower). I have yet to see or hear a flock winging by overhead. There were also some smaller water fowl in Tupper, but they were too far away to identify – may have been mallards, although I’ve heard of two sightings of hooded mergansers in Newcomb already, so maybe that’s what those were, too. I’ve also heard a rumor of a woodcock sighting in Newcomb! I haven’t seen or heard any yet, but you never know. We still have 14-15” at our snow stick, so any early arrivals are probably doubting their judgment.

WNS Update
I recently received the latest issue of BATS, the magazine put out by Bat Conservation International (BCI). It had an article about White-nose Syndrome in which BCI founder Merlin Tuttle was quoted as saying, in response to WNS having been discovered in caves in West Virginia, “America’s most important remaining hibernacula for endangered Indiana myotis…and gray myotis…could be threatened within two years or less. Failure to find a solution could prove devastating.”

The article further cites Al Hicks, the DEC biologist who is heading up the investigation here in NY, as saying that “transmission tests” are being conducted to determine if the fungus is the disease-causing agent. In order to conduct these tests, the testing facility (USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin) has to be able to reproduce the conditions that exist in the caves. This could be a challenge.

The article confirms WNS in hibernacula in NJ, but also says that “no bat kills were confirmed in Pennsylvania, but the state Game commission notes that biologists…found bats with fungus-covered faces. …When they netted bats at the site last summer, they found no obvious problems, although some bats had white spots on their wings.” These white spots are suspected as early signs of WNS. As of mid-December, the bats hibernating in the mine that they were studying seemed fine, but by 20 Dec. some bats were showing evidence of the fungus and were demonstrating the behaviors now associated with it, such as moving closer to the cave entrance. By 5 Jan. almost half of the bat population in the cave had moved near the entrance – not a good sign.

Tom Kunz, “one of the top WNS researchers” says that caves and mines are being sampled all over to determine if there are any locations that have the fungus without the symptoms of WNS also being present. The thought here is that if the fungus is everywhere, but WNS isn’t, then the fungus isn’t what is spreading the disease.

BCI has a fund going to support WNS research. So far they have donated about $65,000 for WNS research, but this fund could soon dry up. If you would like to help, you can check out their donation site at www.batcon.org/wnsdonate .

The Latest Bat News

...and it's not good.

North Country Public Radio had another update yesterday morning on our local bats and white-nose syndrome. Our intrepid reporter (Brian Mann) was in a cave over in Vermont that "they" are now calling the epicenter of the disease (previously the signs indicated it started somewhere around Albany). Al Hicks (NYS Wildlife Biologist who is THE go-to guy for this problem) estimated there were 5-10,000 dead bats in the cave; they said the bodies were 3-4" deep on the floor of the cave! Sick bats were fluttering out of the cave, clinging to icicles and crashing into snow banks. The disease has been found in caves in New Hampshire and West Virginia now, too. It is an epidemic and it is spreading with lightning speed!

And there's still nothing that can be done!

The fungus has been identified (a new species), but they don't know how it got here, or from where. And they don't know why/how it is killing the bats, other than the fact that the bats are starving to death.

If we all thought the bugs were bad last summer, I fear we will be in for an even greater shock this year. Not only will we be facing more mosquitoes and blackflies, but agricultural pests will be on the rise as well. Which will probably mean a greater usage of pesticides. People will finally start to appreciate just how much we benefited from having bats around.

I feel so helpless! I love bats and they are so important. I want to help, but if all the experts can't figure it out, there's nothing a lone naturalist can do but spread the word.

So, if you should find bats in your house this year, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't kill them!!! The bats that survive this plague will need all the help we can give them to survive (afterall, bats reproduce at such a slow rate it will take years for their numbers to come back...if they ever do). Contact someone to remove them for you. If it is only one bat in your living room, open a window, close the doors, turn off the lights, and leave the room - the bat will fly out on its own. Alternately, you can gently place a large can over the bat, slide a card underneath, carry the whole thing outside and release the animal with your good wishes.

Bat Rescue

We had a visitor come in this afternoon reporting that "there's a bat out there under the bench out front." I went out to verify, and sure enough, a juvenile bat, probably a little brown (Myotis lucifugus), although possibly a big brown (Eptesicus fuscus), was clinging to the side of the building just behind the bench.



My first thought was to relocate the little guy to a spot where it could rest in peace and quiet until nightfall, but there was no place near the building that would’ve provided the right shelter away from curious people or dogs. I was also concerned that if I moved it too far its mother would not be able to find it and nurse it come nightfall. So, I was left with the option of taking it inside.

I scooped it up, with much distress on the part of the bat, who did everything in its power to evade capture (even unflighted these guys can really move right along, scooting across the ground on all fours), and successfully deposited it in my Bird Rescue Unit (a cardboard box). With the aid of Mr. Mike, our Maintenance Man, we raised a giant ladder against the side of the building, and up I went, armed with the boxed bat. Let me just state for the record that it isn't easy climbing a ladder while carrying a 10" square box, especially for someone who has a healthy fear of falling.

Once at the top of the ladder (or, I should say, as far as I was willing to go), I discovered the bat's home: a gap behind the roof's flashing about 4" high and 2" wide - more than enough room for bats to emerge (and enter). Little brown bats only need a 1/4" space to get into a structure (or cave, etc.), while big browns need a space only a little bit larger.

On the first attempt, the bat dashed around the box, past my hand (I was wearing gloves, as any intelligent person does when handling bats), and finally over the edge of the roof. With its wings spread, it fluttered to the ground. Mr. Mike, using the BRU (the box), retrieved it and once more the box, bat and I ascended the ladder.

This time, rather than try to grab the bat and place it on the roof, I let it crawl out of the box on its own. It scrambled along the flashing, trying to reach the cedar shingles to climb up, but they were just out of its reach, and the flashing was too slick. So across the roof it scooted and right into the opening to the roost. Success!

According to my bat records, juvenile brown bats around here aren’t volant (capable of flight) until late July/early August. So, while this little one could flutter as it drifted to the ground, it could not fly. Odds are it had crawled out of the roost and tumbled off the roof, kind of like a kid falling out of bed. It had no way to get back to the roost, so it did the next best thing – it clung to the side of the building about 8” above the ground.

If You Find a Bat
Contrary to public belief, most bats are not rabid. The national average is that fewer than one half of one percent of bats are rabid – you have a greater chance of getting food poisoning at a church picnic than you do of getting rabies from a bat. That said, the average in NY State is higher (something like 6-8%), which could simply be a reflection of a greater number of bats submitted for testing.

Regardless, if you find a grounded bat, especially during the day time, it is always best to treat it as if it is diseased. In other words, DO NOT HANDLE IT.

If you are fairly confident that the bat is not diseased (as in this juvenile who fell from the roost, or a bat that is flying actively around your house at night), then there are some steps you can take to assure the safety of the bat and yourself.

1. Wear gloves.

2. If the bat is on a wall, or the ground, find a container, like a coffee can, and a piece of stiff cardstock. Place the can over the bat and gently slide the cardstock underneath, being careful not to squash the bat. This will trap the bat inside the can. Then you can take the canned bat outside and release it.


3. If the bat is flying actively around your room, open a window, turn off the lights, and leave the room, closing all other doors and windows. The bat wants to leave just as much as you want it out of your house. Using its echolocation, it will locate the open window and depart.

If you suspect the bat is sick (rabid bats tend to have a passive form of rabies – they are not aggressive, but instead tend to seek somewhere to hide), you should capture it (see steps 1 & 2 above), and contact your local health department. The bat will be sent in for testing.

Rabies is transmitted through contact with blood and saliva. In other words, you must be bitten to get the disease. If you are unsure if you have been bitten, seek medical attention right away. Rabies shots these days are a far cry from what they used to be. No longer do you receive a series of 21 shots in the belly. Instead, it is a series of about three shots in the arm. Pretty painless. It certainly beats the alternative.

Why Bother Saving Bats?
I have a special fondness for bats, as mentioned in a previous post (I’m also quite fond of snakes and spiders, but that’s fodder for another post). But more than that, I am very concerned about the prevalence of White-nose Syndrome (WNS) that is running through the roosting winter colonies of bats in New York State.

According to the latest information I’ve read, four of our nine species of bats have been affected by the disease: little browns, Indianas, northern long-earreds, and eastern pipistrelles. That leaves two of our hibernators WNS-free so far: big browns and small-footeds. The bats that leave the state for the winter (red, hoary, and silver-haired) seem to have dodged the bullet on this one.

Numbers indicate that upwards of 90% of the over-wintering populations of little browns have been killed off in some of the affected caves. While this species of bat is rather common across the country, these kinds of die-offs are drastic. Add to this the fact that bats do not reproduce rapidly (only 1-2 offspring a year), we could potentially be facing a catastrophic decline in bat populations here in New York State.

To me, this alone is enough reason to rescue any healthy bat that is distress.

And when I think back on the number of black fly and mosquito bites I got this spring (and am still getting), I want to do whatever I can to help restore the population of our number one insect predator. The world will be a much sadder (and buggier) place if we lose our chiropteran friends.

A Tribute to Bats

If you aren't up on the latest bat news, the hibernating bats in New York State are having a rough go of it. Last year Al Hicks, a biologist with the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), discovered many dead bats in our state's hibernacula. Many of the bats, dead and sick, had a white fungus around their muzzles and some had the fungus elsewhere on their bodies as well. He called the occurrance White-nose Syndrome, and it as been seen again this year. Up to 95% of the bats in some caves have been found dead.

For many folks the big concern is that Indiana bats, Myotis sodalis, a federally endangered species, hibernate in some of NY's caves. NY is home to the fourth largest winter hibernaculum of Indianas. This could be problematic. But in addition to this, what concerns me is seeing 95% of the little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) dead. Admittedly, little browns (and big browns, Eptesicus fuscus) are relatively common, but if 95% of each winter population dies off, then what does this mean for the overall population?

The looming question is, of course, what is killing off the bats? No one seems to know. Yet. The fungus may be a symptom, or possibly a secondary "infection." Whatever it is, it is causing the bats to rouse prematurely from hibernation. They are going out in search of food before food is available (few insects flying around in February), and as a result, the bats are starving to death.

Spelunkers are being asked to stay out of known bat caves until answers are found.

*****

Today, while making the rounds at work, I discovered this icicle hanging from the back roof:

To me it looks just like a bat hanging upside down from the eves. Couldn't resist capturing it "on film" and sharing it with nature and bat lovers out there in cyberspace.

I will post any further news I hear about the bats.